In the current practice of dentistry, clinicians often attempt to treat the problem of periodontally compromised teeth, (“loose teeth”, that is ones not strongly supported by the gum tissue and boney structures surrounding them). The most common approach to treating this problem is the use of splints which are means to attach the teeth to one another. In this way the more stable teeth help to stabilize the looser ones and the entire row of splinted teeth is more stable.
There are several standard methods currently used by dental clinicians to effect splinting. One is by means of castings which involves expensive and time consuming custom fabricating and fitting. The castings are bonded to the lingual sides of teeth. Another similar technique employs prefabricated resin ribbons bonded to the lingual sides of teeth. Both of these aspects such as timing, pressure, blending and application are critical. These techniques are also problematic because the bond may weaken and spaces develop between the teeth and the splint. The patient is generally not aware of the spaces and they become areas prone to decay.
Another splinting technique is by wire ligature. The dental clinician cuts in the lingual side of the entire row of teeth, a narrow horizontal channel large enough to accommodate an orthodontic wire which is fitted therein and bonded in place using a composite resin. This requires considerable effort of the clinician because the cutting is continuous along the entire inner periphery of the teeth. Failure of the bond may occur at any location along the wire's channel without being apparent to the patient.
A third approach to splinting uses a spackling of composite resins (without any additional retentive devices) which is applied to the lingual surfaces of the teeth. One of the major disadvantages to this technique is that it obliterates the embrasures (space between the teeth). This makes cleaning by the patient difficult. It is also subject to the problems of other techniques which depend on bonding.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved splint and splinting method that requires minimal preparation and minimal bonding.